The Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry was a Regiment of the British
Yeomanry and is now an armoured
Squadron
Squadron may refer to:
* Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies
* Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, de ...
of the
Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry (SNIY), part of the British
Army Reserve. It is the Lowlands of Scotland's only
Royal Armoured Corps Unit and has an unbroken history stretching back to the 1790s.
The squadron is part of
51st (Scottish) Brigade within the Army's
Support Command. The
Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry is the only
yeomanry regiment that serves in the reconnaissance role, equipped with the
Wolf Land Rover with Weapons Mount Installation Kit (WMIK) and with
HMG (heavy machine gun 12.7mm L1A1) and
GMPG (General purpose machine gun 7.62mm L7A2). On mobilisation, it provides squadrons to reinforce the regular Light Cavalry regiments. It has provided personnel to both
Operation HERRICK in
Afghanistan and
Operation TELIC
Operation Telic (Op TELIC) was the codename under which all of the United Kingdom's military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on ...
in
Iraq, who have served with their regular counterparts in the
Royal Armoured Corps and other arms and services.
The Ayrshire Yeomanry has won numerous
battle honours and one
Victoria Cross.
History
Formation and early history
The Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry was formed as an independent troop of
Fencible
The Fencibles (from the word ''defencible'') were British regiments raised in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and in the colonies for defence against the threat of invasion during the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence, the Frenc ...
Cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...
by The
Earl of Cassillis
Marquess of Ailsa, of the Isle of Ailsa in the County of Ayr, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 10 September 1831 for Archibald Kennedy, 12th Earl of Cassilis. The title Earl of Cassilis (pronounced "Cassels") ...
sometime around 1794. It was formally adopted into the Army List in 1798 as The Ayrshire Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry. The Yeomanry were established and recruited at this time to provide Britain with a defence against any invasion by French forces under
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
. The regiment spent its formative years as an aid to the civil powers, reacting to and controlling riots across Ayrshire and beyond, most notably in
Paisley. In 1897, the regiment was granted permission to use the title Ayrshire Yeomanry Cavalry (Earl of Carrick's Own) in honour of the future
King Edward VII, as
Earl of Carrick is a subsidiary title of the
Princes of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers o ...
deriving from the
Ayrshire
Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...
district of
Carrick
Carrick is an Anglicised version of ''creag/carraig'', Gaelic for "rock", and may refer to:
People
*Carrick (surname)
* Donnchadh, Earl of Carrick (died 1250), Scottish Mormaer and first Earl of Carrick
* Marjorie of Carrick (1256–1292), ...
.
Second Boer War
The Yeomanry was not intended to serve overseas, but due to the string of defeats during
Black Week in December 1899, the British government realized they were going to need more troops than just the regular army. A Royal Warrant was issued on 24 December 1899 to allow volunteer forces to serve in the
Second Boer War. The Royal Warrant asked standing Yeomanry
regiments to provide service
companies of approximately 115 men each for the
Imperial Yeomanry.
With the
Lanarkshire Yeomanry, the regiment co-sponsored the 17th (Ayrshire and Lanarkshire) Company for the 6th (Scottish) Battalion in 1900.
On their return in 1901, the regiment was reorganized as
mounted infantry and titled the Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Imperial Yeomanry. In 1908, it was transferred into the new
Territorial Force, returning to the cavalry role as the Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry.
[ The regiment was based at ]Wellington Square Wellington Square may refer to:
* A neighbourhood in Burlington, Ontario, Canada
* Wellington Square, Chelsea, a garden square in Chelsea, London
* A square in Hastings, on the south coast of England
* A square in Kolkata, India, renamed Subodh ...
in Ayr at this time.
First World War
In accordance with the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907
The Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 ('' 7 Edw. 7, c.9'') was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the auxiliary forces of the British Army by transferring existing Volunteer and Yeomanry units into a new Territori ...
(''7 Edw. 7
7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube.
As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...
, c.9''), which brought the Territorial Force into being, the TF was intended to be a home defence force for service during wartime and members could not be compelled to serve outside the country. However, on the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, many members volunteered for Imperial Service. Therefore, TF units were split in August and September 1914 into 1st Line (liable for overseas service) and 2nd Line (home service for those unable or unwilling to serve overseas) units. Later, a 3rd Line was formed to act as a reserve, providing trained replacements for the 1st and 2nd Line regiments.
1/1st Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry
On the outbreak of the First World War, the regiment was one of the fastest to react to the mobilisation order and received congratulations from Scottish Command, even though there was an initial delay in that the orders came in a code that had not been issued to the regiment! Following mobilisation, the regiment joined the Lowland Mounted Brigade
The Lowland Mounted Brigade was a formation of the Territorial Force of the British Army, organised in 1908. After service in the Gallipoli Campaign, it was absorbed into the 1st Dismounted Brigade in February 1916.
Formation
Under the terms ...
and remained in the United Kingdom, on home defence duties, until 1915. The regiment finally deployed overseas in September of that year, where it took part in the Gallipoli landings, serving as dismounted infantry. The regiment was attached to the 52nd (Lowland) Division
The 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was originally formed as the Lowland Division, in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force. It later became the 52nd (Lowland) Division in 1915. The 52nd (Lowland ...
in October; it was withdrawn in January 1916 and moved to Egypt. In early 1917, the regiment was amalgamated with the Lanarkshire Yeomanry to form the 12th (Ayr and Lanark Yeomanry) Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers
The Royal Scots Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1678 until 1959 when it was amalgamated with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Mar ...
in 74th (Yeomanry) Division (The Broken Spurs), seeing service in the Palestine campaign before moving to the Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to:
Military frontiers
*Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...
in May 1918. A member of this regiment, Thomas Caldwell, won the Victoria Cross on 31 October 1918 at Oudenaarde in Belgium.
2/1st Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry
The 2nd line regiment was formed in 1914. In 1915, it was under the command of the 2/1st Lowland Mounted Brigade in Scotland (along with the 2/1st Lanarkshire Yeomanry
The Lanarkshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1819, which served as a dismounted infantry regiment in the First World War and provided two field artillery regiments in the Second World War, before being am ...
and the 2/1st Lothians and Border Horse) and by March 1916 was at Dunbar, East Lothian
East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921.
In 1975, the histo ...
. On 31 March 1916, the remaining Mounted Brigades were numbered in a single sequence and the brigade became 20th Mounted Brigade
The 20th Mounted Brigade previously known as the 2/1st Lowland Mounted Brigade was a 2nd Line yeomanry brigade of the British Army during the First World War. In July 1916 it was converted to a cyclist formation as 13th Cyclist Brigade and in No ...
, still at Dunbar under Scottish Command.
In July 1916, there was a major reorganization of 2nd Line yeomanry units in the United Kingdom. All but 12 regiments were converted to cyclists[ and as a consequence the regiment was dismounted and the brigade converted to ]13th Cyclist Brigade
In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The interval can be also described as a compound sixth, spanning an octave ...
. Further reorganization in October and November 1916 saw the brigade redesignated as 9th Cyclist Brigade
The 20th Mounted Brigade previously known as the 2/1st Lowland Mounted Brigade was a 2nd Line yeomanry brigade of the British Army during the First World War. In July 1916 it was converted to a cyclist formation as 13th Cyclist Brigade and in No ...
in November, still at Dunbar.
About May 1918, the brigade moved to Ireland[ and the regiment was stationed at Omagh, County Tyrone. There were no further changes before the end of the war.][
]
3/1st Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry
The 3rd Line regiment was formed in 1915 and in the summer was affiliated to a Reserve Cavalry Regiment at Aldershot. In June 1916, it left the Reserve Cavalry Regiment and went to Perth. The regiment was disbanded in early 1917 with personnel transferring to the 2nd Line regiment or to the 4th (Reserve) Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers
The Royal Scots Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1678 until 1959 when it was amalgamated with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Mar ...
at Catterick.[
]
Between the wars
Post war, a commission was set up to consider the shape of the Territorial Force ( Territorial Army from 1 October 1921). The experience of the First World War made it clear that cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...
was surfeit. The commission decided that only the 14 most senior regiments were to be retained as cavalry (though the Lovat Scouts and the Scottish Horse were also to remain mounted as "scouts"). Eight regiments were converted to Armoured Car Companies of the Royal Tank Corps (RTC), one was reduced to a battery
Battery most often refers to:
* Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power
* Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact
Battery may also refer to:
Energy source
*Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...
in another regiment, one was absorbed into a local infantry battalion, one became a signals regiment and two were disbanded. The remaining 25 regiments were converted to brigades of the Royal Field Artillery
The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of t ...
between 1920 and 1922. As the 7th most senior regiment in the order of precedence, the regiment was retained as horsed cavalry.
Second World War
Between the First and Second World Wars, the regiment returned to its horsed Cavalry training in Scotland. However, when the call to duty came again at the beginning of Second World War, the Ayrshire Yeomanry was faced with a difficult choice, they were not required as a cavalry or as an armoured Regiment and were, instead, asked to fill a gap in the Army's Artillery organisation. In 1940, the regiment transferred into the Royal Artillery and duly formed two Regiments of Field Artillery
Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement.
Until the early 20t ...
; ''151st (Ayrshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, RA'', formed in February, and ''152nd (Ayrshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, RA'', formed in April as a second-line duplicate.
151st (Ayrshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, RA
The 151st remained in the United Kingdom until 1942, when it was assigned to 46th Infantry Division and fought in the Tunisia Campaign. It was assigned to the 11th Armoured Division
The 11th Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army which was created in March 1941 during the Second World War. The division was formed in response to the unanticipated success of the German panzer divisions. The 11th Armou ...
in 1944, and remained with it through the campaign in North-Western Europe
Northwestern Europe, or Northwest Europe, is a loosely defined subregion of Europe, overlapping Northern Europe, Northern and Western Europe. The region can be defined both geographically and ethnography, ethnographically.
Geographic defini ...
.
152nd (Ayrshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, RA
The 152nd was attached to the 6th Armoured Division
The 6th Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army, created in September 1940 during the Second World War and re-formed in May 1951 in the UK.
History
The division was formed in the United Kingdom under Northern Command on ...
in mid-1942, and moved with the division to North Africa that November. It remained with the division through the remainder of the war, fighting in the Tunisia Campaign, and the Italian Campaign, ending the war in Austria.
Both Regiments fought with great courage and between them they won four Distinguished Service Orders, twenty one Military Crosses and twenty four Military Medals.
Post war
After the War, the regiment reconstituted in the Territorial Army as a Yeomanry Regiment, under its old title of The Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry, and transferred into the Royal Armoured Corps. The regiment was made part of 30 (Lowland) Independent Armoured Brigade. During this time, the regiment were issued with a wide variety of equipment, including at one stage flamethrower tanks. The regiment consisted of Sabre Squadrons at Ayr, Dalry and Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...
with Regimental Headquarters and Carrick Troop (HQ Squadron) in Ayr.[
In 1961, the Ayrshire Yeomanry paraded at Culzean Castle and were presented with their First Guidon bearing the Honours which had been hard won.] The Ayrshire Yeomanry continued as an independent Regiment until 1969 when, in common with most of the Yeomanry Regiments, it was reduced to a Cadre
Cadre may refer to:
*Cadre (military), a group of officers or NCOs around whom a unit is formed, or a training staff
*Cadre (politics), a politically controlled appointment to an institution in order to circumvent the state and bring control to th ...
of just a few men.[ On 1 April 1971, this cadre gave rise to two new units; B Squadron of the 2nd Armoured Car Regiment, later renamed the Queen's Own Yeomanry, at the former Regimental Headquarters in Ayr and 251 Squadron of 154th (Lowland) Transport Regiment in Irvine with no affiliation to the Ayrshire Yeomanry lineage.][ In 1992, the squadron was transferred to the newly formed Scottish Yeomanry.][
In 1999, following the Government's " Strategic Defence Review", the Scottish Yeomanry amalgamated with the Queen's Own Yeomanry. Two of the Scottish Yeomanry's four Squadrons – The Ayrshire Yeomanry in Ayr, and The ]Fife and Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse
The Fife & Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse is unit of the British Army regiment formed in 1956. Originally a regiment in its own right, it is currently a Yeomanry Squadron of the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry.
History
The regiment was forme ...
in Cupar continued to operate under command of The Queen's Own Yeomanry.[ On 1 July 2014, the squadron left The Queens Own Yeomanry to form the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry.] Following the latest defence review, the squadron became 'light cavalry' and uses the Land Rover ''RWMIK''.[
]
Organisation
A (Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry) Squadron is based at Yeomanry House on Chalmers Road in Ayr.
Battle honours
The Ayrshire Yeomanry was awarded the following battle honours (honours in bold are emblazoned on the regimental colours):[
]
Guidon
The guidon of The Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry was presented by General Sir Horatius Murray KBE CB DSO at Culzean Castle, Ayrshire
Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...
on 24 June 1961.[ The battle honours of the regiment emblazoned on both sides of the Guidon are as follows:]
Placed under the central tie of the Union wreath is the Honorary Distinction: the badge of the Royal Regiment of Artillery within a laurel wreath bearing four scrolls inscribed as follows:
Victoria Cross
The only member of the regiment to be awarded the Victoria Cross was Thomas Caldwell for his actions on 31 October 1918 at Oudenaarde in Belgium.[
]
Uniform
Prior to 1893, the Ayrshire Yeomanry wore black-leather helmets and black plumes with a dark blue uniform and scarlet facings. This was replaced by a hussar style uniform, including a fur busby with white plume and scarlet bag. Officers' tunics included a unique "figure-of-eight" front gold braiding, while other-ranks wore hip-length stable jackets of dark blue with scarlet collars and cuffs. This elaborate uniform was discarded after the Boer War and at the 1911 Coronation the Ayrshire Yeomanry was one of only two mounted regiments participating to wear plain khaki. The former facing-colours were commemorated by scarlet piping on the breeches.
Regimental music
The Ayrshire Yeomanry song, The Proud Trooper, was written as a poem following the regiment's actions in South Africa and the first verse is now often sung, to the tune of Amazing Grace, when several Ayrshire Yeomen are together. The lyrics of the first verse of The Proud Trooper are as follows:
::''"I’ve Listed in The County Horse,''
::''A Yeoman don’t you know,''
::''With spurs of steel upon my heel,''
::''full swagger now I go,''
::''I’ve sworn an oath to serve the Queen,''
::''And to defend Her Throne,''
::''I’m proud to be a Trooper in,''
::''The Earl of Carrick’s Own."''
The Ayrshire Yeomanry Locomotive
Of the 842 LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Stanier Class 5 4-6-0, commonly known as the Black Five, is a class of steam locomotives. It was introduced by William Stanier and built between 1934 and 1951, of which 842 were built and were numbe ...
Locomotives, commonly known as "Black Fives", only four were named, and those were in honour of Scottish Regiments: Lanarkshire Yeomanry, The Queens Edinburgh, Ayrshire Yeomanry, Glasgow Highlander and Glasgow Yeomanry.
Alliances
* – The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys)
See also
* Imperial Yeomanry
* List of Yeomanry Regiments 1908
* Yeomanry
* Yeomanry order of precedence Precedence is the order in which the various corps of the British Army parade, from right to left, with the unit at the extreme right being highest.
Precedence
The British Army has frequently been the subject of amalgamation and re-organisation th ...
* British yeomanry during the First World War
The British yeomanry during the First World War were part of the British Army reserve Territorial Force. Initially, in 1914, there were fifty-seven regiments and fourteen mounted brigades. Soon after the declaration of war, second and third line ...
* Second line yeomanry regiments of the British Army
*
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
External links
*
*
Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry - Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayrshire (Earl Of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry
Yeomanry regiments of the British Army
Yeomanry regiments of the British Army in World War I
Scottish regiments
Military units and formations in Ayrshire
Military of Scotland
Military units and formations established in 1794
Military units and formations established in 1798
Military units and formations established in 1971
Ayr
Ayrshire
Regiments of the British Army in World War II
1794 establishments in Great Britain